Basic Things Every Facility Manager Should Know About Facility Audit

Field verification services are a fundamental component of effective facility management, ensuring that the documentation of a building’s systems, layout, and structure reflect the real, on-the-ground conditions. Over time, buildings undergo numerous changes—renovations, repairs, and even simple wear-and-tear—which often aren’t updated in the original blueprints. For facility managers, field verification ensures that what’s on paper matches reality, preventing costly errors and ensuring efficient operations.

In this blog, we’ll explore the basic aspects of field verification services and why they are essential for every facility manager. Understanding how field verification impacts your facility operations can lead to more accurate data, better compliance, and streamlined decision-making.

What Are Field Verification Services?

Field verification services involve physically inspecting a facility to ensure the accuracy of its existing documentation. This could include anything from verifying floor layouts to inspecting mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems. It is particularly useful when the as-built conditions of a facility may differ from the original design or when outdated blueprints are being used for renovation or maintenance purposes.

At its core, field verification ensures that your facility’s data is accurate and current, allowing you to make more informed decisions about maintenance, improvements, and future projects. Whether you're conducting a facility audit, updating as-built drawings, or ensuring regulatory compliance, field verification is key to maintaining an accurate record of your facility’s condition.

Why Field Verification is Crucial for Facility Managers?

Facility managers often deal with multiple responsibilities, from day-to-day maintenance to large-scale renovations. Ensuring that facility data is up-to-date is crucial, as incorrect information can lead to costly mistakes. Field verification serves as the bridge between outdated documents and the current state of a building, which is essential for:

1. Accurate Documentation: Over time, as-built conditions of a building may no longer align with the original plans. Changes happen frequently, and without proper field verification, these changes may go unrecorded. This can result in miscommunications and unnecessary delays, especially in projects that depend on precise data.
2. Building Compliance: Many facilities must comply with safety standards, building codes, and regulatory requirements. Without accurate documentation, meeting compliance standards can be difficult. Field verification ensures that your facility meets these standards by confirming that the actual layout and systems are aligned with what is required by law.
3. Preventing Costly Mistakes: Whether it’s for routine maintenance or a large-scale remodel, having accurate data at your fingertips can prevent costly mistakes. Field verification helps you avoid unexpected issues that arise from incorrect or incomplete information.
4. Efficient Facility Management: Field verification enhances operational efficiency. By ensuring that your documentation is up-to-date, you can reduce downtime, make faster decisions, and improve overall management processes.

Key Aspects of Field Verification

1. As-Built Verification: Field verification often involves confirming as-built conditions, which are the final, actual conditions of a building after construction. These differ from the initial design documents due to modifications or changes made during construction. Verifying the as-built conditions allows facility managers to ensure that their documentation is accurate and reflects the building’s true state.
2. Facility Audits: A facility audit is a comprehensive evaluation of a building’s systems, layout, and condition. It identifies any discrepancies between what is on record and what exists in the building. Field verification is integral to facility audits, as it ensures that the data collected is accurate and reliable.
3. Building Surveys: Field surveys collect data directly from the facility, typically focusing on the physical layout and structure. During these surveys, data on floor dimensions, ceiling heights, and MEP equipment specifications are gathered. These surveys provide the foundation for accurate building documentation and are essential for future renovations or upgrades.
4. MEP Equipment Data: A significant part of field verification involves gathering information on mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems. This includes data like power ratings, equipment specifications, and operational details. Accurate MEP data is crucial for asset management, predictive maintenance, and compliance with building codes.

How Technology Enhances Field Verification

Advancements in technology have transformed the field verification process, making it more efficient and accurate. Today, facility managers have access to powerful tools like:

• Laser Scanning: Laser scanners capture highly detailed 3D images of a facility. These scans can be used to compare existing conditions with digital blueprints, providing precise measurements and identifying discrepancies quickly.
• Drones: Drones are especially useful for capturing aerial data, particularly for large buildings or areas that are difficult to access. With high-resolution cameras and mapping software, drones can collect data that would be hard to gather manually.
• Mobile Applications: Many facility managers now use mobile apps to perform field verification in real-time. These apps allow data to be captured on-site and immediately synced with the facility management system, ensuring that records are always up-to-date.

The Role of VLogic in Field Verification

At VLogic, field verification plays a crucial role in our process of developing accurate as-built drawings. We understand that existing drawings may not always reflect current conditions due to frequent changes and renovations that aren’t always documented. Our experienced field engineers conduct thorough building surveys to capture accurate data, focusing on what matters most—critical building systems and structures.

VLogic’s field verification process is built on decades of expertise. Our team has surveyed millions of square feet across various facilities, ensuring that our field verification services are reliable and precise. Our field engineers collect critical data, from floor layouts to MEP equipment specifications, to ensure that all your documentation is accurate and up-to-date.

Whether you are planning a remodel or updating facility records, our system allows you to track vital details like floor finishes, wall and ceiling heights, and MEP data, such as power ratings and equipment specifications. This data not only supports accurate as-built drawings but also contributes to a fully functional asset management system, which is essential for efficient facility operations.

Benefits of Field Verification Services

1. Accurate Data: The primary benefit of field verification is ensuring the accuracy of your building’s documentation. This allows facility managers to confidently make decisions about maintenance, upgrades, and compliance.
2. Cost Savings: By catching discrepancies early, field verification can prevent expensive errors down the road, saving both time and money.
3. Improved Compliance: Field verification ensures that your facility complies with local building codes and safety regulations, helping to avoid costly penalties.
4. Streamlined Operations: Accurate data collected through field verification allows for more efficient facility management, reducing downtime and helping you to better allocate resources.

Challenges in Field Verification

While the benefits are clear, there are challenges to field verification, including:

• Data Gaps: In older buildings, there may be gaps in the original documentation, requiring more extensive field surveys.
• Time and Resource Intensive: The process can be time-consuming, especially for large facilities. However, advancements in technology are helping to reduce the time required for field verification.
• Integration with Existing Systems: Ensuring that field verification data integrates seamlessly with existing facility management systems can sometimes pose a challenge.

Conclusion

Field verification is a critical process for every facility manager, ensuring that building documentation remains accurate, up-to-date, and reflective of real-world conditions. From ensuring building compliance to optimizing operations and reducing costs, field verification plays a key role in improving facility management. While the process can be complex, modern tools and expertise, like those offered by VLogic, make it easier and more efficient to capture accurate data. Whether you’re preparing for a renovation, updating as-built drawings, or performing a facility audit, field verification ensures you have the most reliable data to manage your facility effectively.